The Brain-Heart-Placenta Connection: Multimodal Investigation of Neurodevelopment in Mice with Congenital Heart Disease

Neurodevelopmental deficits (NDD) are a prevalent debilitating factor in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) even after successful surgical palliation, but the etiology for NDD is not understood. Our study in a transgenic mouse model carrying causative genetic mutations found that NDD associated with CHD is not merely the consequence of compromised fetal hemodynamics, but primarily driven by intrinsic genetic factors and modulated by the placenta. Our study suggests that placental functions might potentially be a possible intervention strategy to overcome intrinsic genetic disadvantages.